<p>Krishi Mela, the annual farming expo now on in Bengaluru, features many innovations.<br />The University of Agricultural Sciences is hosting the four-day mela at the Gandhi Krishi Vijnana Kendra campus, Hebbal. The mela ends on Monday, November 18. <br />The mela showcases many products to help farmers. The hybrid windmill, designed by Maruthi Krishi Udyog, Nelmangala is one such: it can address the power outage problem in villages.</p>.<p>Departments within the university presented their inventions to a crowd of farmers and curious city-dwellers.</p>.<p>Farmers can sign up for a weather alert service: twice a week, they get forecasts. This is an initiative by a department.<br />Soil-testing units, also on display, help farmers decide what to plant. Some stalls provide details about weed management, bio-fertilisers and mushroom cultivation.</p>.<p>The department of food science and nutrition, presented a food item for diabetics and obese people living in rural areas. The mix contains pulses and cereals and no chemicals.</p>.<p>“Rural diabetics cannot afford the expensive products available in the urban market. Farmers can make this mix on their own and it is cost-effective,” says the head of the department.</p>.<p>The department of Agronomy has designed a mobile phone-operated solar hooter.</p>.<p>“There’s a SIM inside the machine. Just a call will get the hooter going and scare the birds away. This is something any farmer can make by himself,” says the assistant professor at the department.</p>.<p>A solar fertiliser sprinkler on display reduces manual work and eases the work of farmers.</p>.<p>An integrated farming model showed how poultry, fishery, and farming could go together.</p>.<p>“Fish can be fed the residuary material from farms, such as leaves and stalks. Additionally, plankton, which is a major fish feed, can be grown using manure provided by livestock raised along the fish farms. Silk worms can also be raised simultaneously,” he adds.<br /> </p>.<h2><strong>Art too</strong></h2>.<p>The mela also features performances by folk artistes from across the state.</p>.<h2><strong>Get there</strong></h2>.<p>If you go from the Windsor Manor side, GKVK is on your left just after the Hebbal flyover.</p>.<h2><strong>On display</strong></h2>.<p>- Hybrid windmill: Can generate power</p>.<p>- Mobile hooter: Can remotely scare birds away</p>.<p>- Diet beverage for diabetics and obese people</p>.<p>- Twice-a-week mobile weather forecast service</p>
<p>Krishi Mela, the annual farming expo now on in Bengaluru, features many innovations.<br />The University of Agricultural Sciences is hosting the four-day mela at the Gandhi Krishi Vijnana Kendra campus, Hebbal. The mela ends on Monday, November 18. <br />The mela showcases many products to help farmers. The hybrid windmill, designed by Maruthi Krishi Udyog, Nelmangala is one such: it can address the power outage problem in villages.</p>.<p>Departments within the university presented their inventions to a crowd of farmers and curious city-dwellers.</p>.<p>Farmers can sign up for a weather alert service: twice a week, they get forecasts. This is an initiative by a department.<br />Soil-testing units, also on display, help farmers decide what to plant. Some stalls provide details about weed management, bio-fertilisers and mushroom cultivation.</p>.<p>The department of food science and nutrition, presented a food item for diabetics and obese people living in rural areas. The mix contains pulses and cereals and no chemicals.</p>.<p>“Rural diabetics cannot afford the expensive products available in the urban market. Farmers can make this mix on their own and it is cost-effective,” says the head of the department.</p>.<p>The department of Agronomy has designed a mobile phone-operated solar hooter.</p>.<p>“There’s a SIM inside the machine. Just a call will get the hooter going and scare the birds away. This is something any farmer can make by himself,” says the assistant professor at the department.</p>.<p>A solar fertiliser sprinkler on display reduces manual work and eases the work of farmers.</p>.<p>An integrated farming model showed how poultry, fishery, and farming could go together.</p>.<p>“Fish can be fed the residuary material from farms, such as leaves and stalks. Additionally, plankton, which is a major fish feed, can be grown using manure provided by livestock raised along the fish farms. Silk worms can also be raised simultaneously,” he adds.<br /> </p>.<h2><strong>Art too</strong></h2>.<p>The mela also features performances by folk artistes from across the state.</p>.<h2><strong>Get there</strong></h2>.<p>If you go from the Windsor Manor side, GKVK is on your left just after the Hebbal flyover.</p>.<h2><strong>On display</strong></h2>.<p>- Hybrid windmill: Can generate power</p>.<p>- Mobile hooter: Can remotely scare birds away</p>.<p>- Diet beverage for diabetics and obese people</p>.<p>- Twice-a-week mobile weather forecast service</p>
